The Learning Barge

The design and fabrication of the Learning Barge— a floating, self-sustaining environmental education field station on the Elizabeth River— was lead by Phoebe Crisman with a multidisciplinary team of UVA students and diverse community partners. Completed in September 2009, the Elizabeth River Project, an environmental NGO, offers popular daily field trips to area school children and adults. The project has received numerous design awards, including the NCARB Prize for Creative Integration of Practice and Education in the Academy, National Student Collaborative Design Award from the American Institute of Landscape Architects, Go Green Honor Award from the James River Green Building Council, and the Youth Council for Sustainable Science and Technology P3 Design Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. The Learning Barge team won the US EPA P3 Sustainability Award in a 2007 competition on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Most recently, the project was honored with an Excellence on the Waterfront Award from The Waterfront Center.